Envelope



Aug, 3 1926;

- L.. VANTREPOTTE ENVELOPE Filed March 50. 1925 L punire/005%@ Patented Aug. 3, 1926.

LEONARD VANTREPOTTE, OE MULBERRY, KANSAS.

` ENvELorn.

Application `filed March, 1925.'. Serial No. 19,438.

This invention `relates `to anA improved mailing envelope and, seeks, among` other ob-` jects, to providev a device of this character embodying a, shield for protecting the con-I tents of theV` envelope againstinjury by an envelope opener or the like when the envelope is being opened.

The invention seeks, as a further object, to provide an envelope embodying a shield in the form of an auxiliary flap at the mouth of the envelope and so disposed that said flap may be readily folded into the envelope over the letter preparatory to the sealing of the envelope.

Another object of the invention is to so dispose the auxiliary flap that after the envelope is sealed, said flap will form a secondk thickness at the upper longitudinal edge of the envelope so that the operator, when attempting to open the envelope will, upon finding the two thicknesses of the auxiliary iiap and the closure fiap of the envelope difficult to sever, choose the single thickness of the envelope fiap with the result that injury to the letter wil be avoided.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide the auxiliary flap with means whereby said iiap may be readily pulled from its folded position within the envelope to permit the ready removal yof the letter.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my improved envelope.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

In accordance with the present invention, the improved envelope is preferably formed from a blank of suitable paper and includes an oblong body having a one-piece front portion 11, and a back portion 12 which is formed of end flaps 13 and an overlapping bottom flap 14- adhesively secured to the adjacent margins of the end flaps. The front portion 11 is continued to forni a closure flap 15 provided at its free longitudinaly margin with a band of adhesive 16 so that said flap may be secured in folded position to the back portion 12 over the mouth of the body for closing the envelope, while the back portion 12 is provided with a downwardly curving free edge to permit the ready removal of the contents of the envelope after the flap 15 has beensevered 'alongits folded edge. I l ldo'unted within the isa shield which, isinqthe-forinofanv auxiliary flap 17. Near its base edge, theiiiap is folded to form an attaching strip 18 which is adhesively secured to the front portion 11 of the body at mouth of the body 10 the base of the closure flap 15 so that the 65 flap 17 is thus securely attached and is, furthermore, provided with a crease at the upper edge of said strip so that after a letter has been placed within the body, the flap may be readily folded ter to project within the back portion 12. As will be observed, the free edge of the flap 17 is preferably curved to conform to the curvature of the upper edge of the back portion 12 of the body and is overlap said back gin. Adhesively the auxiliary portion at its upper marsecured at its lower end to flap is a tab 19 arranged inedially of said flap, and preferably attached near the free edge thereof. at its upper end so that said tab may be readily grasped and is formed of a piece of thin paper or, in other words, of a paper considerably thinner than the paper of which the envelope is formed. of the tab will not be noticeable when the .envelope is sealed.

After the letter has envelope, the flap is, as folded downwardly over beneath the back portion 12 of when the flap 15 is sealed in the foi` closing the envelope. Thus, when an envelope opener or the like is inserted beneath the Hap 15 and operated to at the upper longitudinal edge of the envelope, the flap 17 will .serve to protect the letter against injury by the opener. After the flap 15 is severed, the free end of the tab 19 may be 17 upwardly to open position and exposing the letter. Should the envelope opener be in serted beneath both flaps, when starting to open the envelope, the double thickness pre sented by said fiaps at nal edge of the envelope will be found relatively hard to. sever with the result that the attention of the operator will be directed to the presence of the auxiliary flap 17 and a fresh start made by neath the flap 15 only. l accordingly pro-- vide an envelope wherein likelihood of inbeen placed in the shown in Figure 2,

the body usual way as best shown inFigure 1,

downwardly over the letof a width to uniformly The tab is free Thus, the presence the letter to extend sever said Hap grasped for pulling the fia-p the upper longitudinsertingthe opener be? jury to the letter incident to the opening of the envelope will be materially lessened.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim is: i

An envelope comprising a body portion having a front wall and a rear wall joined at its bottom and sides to said front wall and together with the front wall forming a pocket open at its top7 the upper edge of said rear wall being disposed below the upper edge of said front wall, a guard'ap secured against the inner face of said front wall along its upper edge portion and adapted to be tucked into the pocket with its lower edge portion overlapped by said rear Wall, a tab secured at its lower end to the outer face of said guard lap above the upper edge of said rear wall and extending pp- Wardly with its upper end terminating short of the upper edge of the guard flap, said tab being of not greater thickness than the rear wall, and a closure fla-p extending from the upper edge of said front Wall and adapted to be secured upon the outer face of said rear wall and close the upper end ofthe pocket. v In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

LEONARD VANTREPOTTE. [n sl] 

